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Royal Castle
The''' Royal Castle''' (also known as Griffin's Roost) is the seat of Cartham's monarchial government and the home of the Royal Family of Cartham, which usually includes the King, Queen, and their children, the Princes and Princesses. It is in the center of the northern part of the City of Cartham. The Castle has been the center of conflict for most Carthian wars, and is considered the crown jewel of the kingdom. It has been the location of many conflicts, assassinations and murders. It has also been the subject of invasion more than once. History Early history Following his appontment as King of Cartham, Oliver Fischbach I and his family occupied their manor house on the outskirts of Cartham City. Construction on the Royal Castle began in Year 33, three years after House Fischbach was instated as head of the kingdom. Construction was completed eight years later in Year 41. The vaults underneath the dungeons became the hiding place of several magical artifacts hidden by Prince Oliver in Year 45. Tourmaline In Year 100, the Ambersight Queen Tourmaline rallied the Army of Labhruinn against House Fischbach. The castle was occupied by Tourmaline and her father Aleron for seven years. Prince Arthur met Tourmaline in single combat in 107 and defeated the usurper Queen, restoring the castle to its rightful owners. Arthur II Prior to his coming of age, King Arthur II spent every morning until midday in the castle yard training with a sword, shield, and any other weapon, sparring with Crownguards and occasionally knights or the High Captain. Following his formal coronation, Arthur emptied the castle's dungeons. Oliver III & Arthur the Cruel During the reign of King Oliver Fischbach III, the castle was terrorized by a young Prince Arthur. He supposedly butchered a cat immediately after receiving his first sword. When he was eight, he stabbed to death a palfrey which had kicked him, and slashed the face off of the stable boy who came running toward the animal's screams. Following his coronation, King Arthur III enjoyed torturing enemies within the castle's dungeons. The people of Cartham began to resist Arthur's tyrannical rule, and when one lord suggested that Arthur abdicate the throne, he had him beheaded and continued his war council with the man's head mounted on a lance behind the throne. At the end of the war council, Arthur remained behind in the throne room to brood. The King was found dead the next morning by Queen Adelaide, seated on the throne with his robes covered in blood and his wrists slashed. How Arthur died was never discovered. Some believe that he was killed by Queen Adelaide, others that he had been killed by a knight of the Crownguard. Others believe that Arthur killed himself by opening his wrists. Fifth century plagues The Plague of 418 managed to infiltrate the royal castle, killing King Arthur IV, Queen Ryia, and several of the princes and princesses. The Plague of 440 also reached the castle, killing King Merek I, Prince Oliver, and Princess Angmar. Frederick the Young During the reign of King Frederick I, the castle played host to a splendid court. Feasts, balls, and tourneys were common. Henry IV and Earl I During the reign of Henry IV, Prince Earl served at court as a page. He and the rest of the castle were terrorized by Prince Oliver, who once threw Earl's pet cat down a well. Oliver once visited Earl in his bedroom during the dead of night, put a knife to Earl's privates, and joked about removing his genitals so he would become a girl. The castle caught fire in 646, consuming much of the building and killing King Earl I. Prince William managed to escape the blaze, but not without sustaining grievous scarring to his body. Years later, King William began to have fits of insanity, causing his pregnant wife Dimia to flee. William's death in 692 prompted Dimia's return to the castle to act as Queen regent for their son Geoffrey. Geoffrey the Deserter During the rule of King Geoffrey II, the castle played host to a court of flatterers. The women at court allowed the corrupt king to slake his lusts upon their bodies. Though he sired several bastards, none of them were allowed at court. Geoffrey once suggested bringing his eldest son, a bastard boy named for him, to court when Prince William was insolent. When Queen Seraphina threatened the boy's life, Geoffrey hit his wife but refrained from bringing the bastard Geoffrey to court. Following the death of Prince William and several of his other family members, Geoffrey deserted the throne, leaving no apparent heir. The Royal Council scrambled to bring the bastard Geoffrey to court, enraging Seraphina. She intended to have the boy assassinated before his coronation, but she was discovered and detained in the castle's dungeons until her death in 826. Geoffrey the Mad During the first years of his reign, King Geoffrey III held a splendid court. He loved music, dancing, and masked balls, and was exceedingly fond of beautiful young women, filling the court with fair maidens from across the kingdom. Following a string of miscarriages and stillbirths, the bastard king decided that the children could not have been his, and that Queen Catrain had been unfaithful to him. The Queen was confined to the tower dungeon, and two priestesses slept in her bed to ensure she would remain faithful. Following the birth of Prince Geoffrey in 834, the king's madness seemed to have abated. However, the Prince's death later that year incited the king's black rage. The boy's wet nurse was beheaded first, then his mistress, who he claimed had poisoned the child. His mistress' entire family were then tortured and executed after they all confessed to the crime. Afterward, the king fasted for a fortnight and made a walk of repentance from the castle to the Temple of Seven Stars. Following the birth of Prince Asher, Crownguard knights were ordered to stand watch over the babe, day and night. No one, not even Queen Catrain, were allowed to be alone with the prince. Gifts came from all over the realm for the newborn prince, but they were piled up in the castle's courtyard and burned, as Geoffrey feared they might be cursed. For the three years following his capture by Lord Dorian Barthelemy and the Illusionist's Uprising, Geoffrey refused to leave the castle. He refused to meet with the Royal Council unless all senior members of the Crownguard were present. When Geoffrey ordered the execution of the Ambersight King Lycidas, the Elf was jailed in the tower dungeon where Catrain had once been held. The pair continued to sleep in separate chambers and avoided each other by day, though Geoffrey would occasionally claim his rights after an execution. Notably, Prince Frederick and his family did not reside in the royal castle following his marriage to Arabella Cartwright, instead opting to live in another castle owned by the royal family. Ambersight insurrections The exiled Ambersight King Lycidas returned to Cartham to take the throne from the Mad King in 840. Geoffrey refused to fight, and Lycidas took the castle and the surrounding city easily. Lycidas remained in power for eight years before Prince Frederick bested him in single combat, returning the castle once again to House Fischbach. Frederick himself proved to be mad as well, and the castle was infiltrated by assassins only three years later. In 897, King Geoffrey IV was ousted by the Ambersight Queen Lorelei. The castle became a trampling ground for Ogres, Goblins, and Trolls, whom Lorelei inducted into the Cartham City Guard. After twenty-three years, Prince Edmund and his son Ulric overthrew the Ambersight Queen and restored the castle to the Fischbachs once again. Edmund the Blessed During the reign of King Edmund, the king placed his sisters into a "Court of Beauty" in what would become known as the Maidenvault. His daughters would later join them. Edmund wanted to preserve the innocence and purity of his sisters and daughters and protect them from the lusts and evils of the world. Other maidens were sent to the maidenvault by lords and knights to gain favor with the king. Many books contradicting the Faith of Seven Stars were burned in the courtyard of the castle. Ceiridwen When the Ambersight Queen Ceiridwen attacked the city in 976, Edmund took to fasting and praying rather than fighting. While the princes and princesses managed to escape, the king was held captive in his own dungeons. Ceiridwen found him amusing and offered him ample food and drink, which he turned away in favor of simple bread and water. He died in the dungeons, and Ceiridwen ruled Cartham with an iron fist for several years. The princesses and one of the princes, Asher, were captured. The girls were executed at the castle seven years into Ceiridwen's rule. The royal castle was left unscathed by the First Great Flood, which destroyed the lower districts of the city. However, the Second Great Flood in 992 caused much damage to the castle and claimed the lives of Ceiridwen and Prince Asher. Geoffrey VI & Favian Geoffrey VI's children, Favian and Margaret, were tutored at the castle under the supervision of their mother and their governess. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature, and music. Fendrel King Fendrel and his wife Helewys were aware of the ancient Dryad Sisters prophecy and attempted to prevent it from coming to fruition. When it became apparent that the Peacebringer had been born despite their best efforts, Fendrel decreed that the Peacebringer be brought to the castle for a substantial reward. Subsequently, the gates were stormed with young girls claiming to be the Peacebringer in the hopes that they would be rewarded with Prince Liam's hand in marriage. The Nightstalkers managed to capture Heather Woodall, believing she was the Peacebringer. The girl was kept in the castle's dungeons until Zelda Kross turned herself in as the Peacebringer. Both girls were imprisoned in the dungeons until Heather disappeared. Zelda became a spectacle for the king's court, as he would publicly humiliate and abuse her until she showed him her "secret abilities". On one occasion, she was rescued by Prince Liam, causing the Council of Commons to spread rumors that the Prince was in love with the Peacebringer. The castle was once again infiltrated by assassins, who poisoned Helewys and killed Fendrel with elfshot. Prince Liam managed to defend himself and Zelda from attackers until they retreated. Following Fendrel's death, Liam asked Zelda for her hand in marriage. Liam and the Peacebringer Under Liam's rule, most affairs were taken care of by Queen Zelda and the Royal Council, whereas he primarily worked with the Royal Army, Royal Navy, and the Crownguard. Zelda gave birth to a daughter, Hyacinth, in the summer of 1084, after several complications. Liam notably had to be removed from the castle and sedated while his wife was in labor. The Great War Description The Castle consists of four floors (another if the center tower is counted); including a dungeon and cellar. It is protected by a moat and drawbridge, which is raised promptly at sundown and lowered at sunrise. Security is usually very tight, as the Castle is protected by the loyal Crownguard. Category:Locations Category:Castles Category:Buildings Category:Cartham City Category:Royal Castle